The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-23
TALK ABOUT MEN.
Information and Gossip Regarding Persons
About Whom Things Are Incidentally Said.


A great many people outside OF Marion county
want to know something about the young orator
who SO eloquently seconded the nomination OF
Benjamin Harrison in the joint convention.
John L. Grifiths. whose nominating speech
evoked hearty applause. even from political OBJ
ponents is of Welsh parentage. for, though he
was born in New York city, both his father and
mother are natives of Wales and his blood is
Welsh all the way back to the days when the
Cymrl contested the possession of their wales
and mountains with the Normans. Mr.. Grit
fiths himself speaks and reads Welsh with flu
ency. His hair is white and his eyes clear blue.
and on his broad, rosy face the picture of
health and clean life. he wears no beard.
Unlike the typical orator, his mouth is not large
and his features arc rather boyish for his years,
as he is now thirty -one years old. He graduated
IN law and literature at the Iowa University be-
fore he was twenty years old and then came to
indianapolis, where he studied law with John
Duncan afterwards forming partnership with
A. f. Potts. In extemporaneous speaking he
has wealth of synonyms, his English is clear
and plain and he is never at loss for the word
and the fitting word. In prepared effort he
writes speech and commits il in few moments
by walking the floor and repeating it.
his power of concentration is so great
that even in this way he learns even long
speech in a wonderfully short time. He is,
| however, disciplined student, capable of close
and long-contnued application. In all his
| speeches, whether at the bar on the stump or as
legislator. he is absolutely free from any ap-
proach to slang, and. at the same time affects
none OF the arts of the elocutiopist His voice is
clear and resonant. with considerable volume
he always speaks with earnestness and direct
ness OF purpose and without any superauity of
words. though like fulness of dction would
| lead many another orator on to longer and more
elaborate periods. One pee clarity is that he
| always walks when he speaks, and some OF his
lawyer friends have expressed the opinion that,
II his legs were tied. it would produce like eft
| feet upon his tongue and seriously impair his
| facility of speech.
The representative from Carroll county is
Republican this time-the first since 1860. His
name is Charley. not Charles. Harley, who was
elected by 2l0 majority, a Republican gain of
800. Mr. Harley is thirty-eight years old, and
that he is mature was shown by the fact that he
was among the most pronounced directors to the
compromise that has measurably hand
ed control over to the enemy.
This is the first Office Mr.. Harley
| who is business man., lime manufacturer,
has ever held, but he has long been recognized as
an active worker and is very popular. He is
broadfaced and good humored, but very firm in
what he believes to be the right thing. He was
offered the position of Deputy Secretary of State
under Mr.. G. F. Griffin, and accepted the ap-
poiutment but afterwards reconsidered, for the
reason that ne feared it might in some way in
terfere with his legislative duties.
Rev. Myron W. Reed during his recent visit.
told to a number OF friends the reasons of his
defeat in his recent race for Congress at his new
home in Colorado. Among other things he told
of campaign story and how it was used to lay
him ont. Mr. Reed said he had no time to read
all the papers, and SO his wife read everything
that was said of him during the week when the
campaign was or, and told him of them on Sat
urday night. He went up to Leadville to
speak Tuesday. He made some re-
marks about poverty in that speech, and
used as an illustration a little own in
England. in which he told his hearers the per-
centage of ilecitmate births was fifty six in
every hundred He went on to say that the peo-
pie We're poor; they wanted to marry. but were
absolutely too poor to do so. and that this i'm
morality was caused by poverty. He said he
thought he had made a strong point When he
got home Mrs. Reed drew an opposition paper
upon him, and, reading editorial, asked him
II 1t was possible that ne had told the people up
at Leadville, as the paper had it. that sc per
cent of the population of England, Scotland and
Wales illegitimate Mr. Reed was astound-
ed at the breadth of statement that had grown
out of his little story. He went to fill an ap-
pointment at another place. Here he thought
to tell the story and set things right.
He said distinctly that it was one particular lit
tie town in England, the population of which
was largely llegitimate. He supposed the
matter was settled, but when he went home his
wife had Golden paper to show him. There
was hllstering comment his speech, in
which the paper said that he that Denver par
son. bad charged that SO per cent of the popu-
lation of Golden illegitimate Then Mr..
Reed gave up. It was the vote of the miners,
; large numbers of whom English and Welsh
| fha4h uo loco kI,c 49,
campaign story is loaded.
) It is asserted that the recently mentioned
scheme to take the election of the State Librarian
out of the hands Of the Legislature and to put il
in the hands of the State Board of Education Ii
mainly in the interest of Mr.. Holcombe, Super
int ndent of Public instruction, who expects te
be made Librarian himself, if the appointing
power is lodged with the State Board Of Educa
ton.
Yesterday in the Senate. Green Smith pre-
sided with less boorishness. He seemed to have
e been furnished with slight amount of courtesy
NOT much, but it may prove to be nucleus Il
which more may gather. 1t has leaked out tina,
0 8 number of Democrats have been lecturine hin
. On his slaughter-house manners and three OF
t four disciples OF Chesterfield have taken him
| under instruction. Hereafter he is to avoid such
| expressions as IVY hat committee do You want II
to go tor Gentlemen will name the candidate
for which they want to vote for, "Ill send it te
any committee you want" etc. They have told
= him to avoid the repetition of the proposition
q and that IT'S attachment to the end of a sentence
!. | is not only inelegant but superhuous; and thai
: politeness and official courtesy demand the ellis
l. ion of the egotstic IL" and the substitution
therefor of the expression ''the Chair'-as ''the
: Chair rulec." the Chair desires, I" etc.
: 1t seems that while the joint convention
8 | was in session, day before yesterday, the
n pages had nothing to do. gentle
9 man who happened to be in the gallery
!. | of the deserted Senate, hearing a noise below
!. looked down. One small boy was in the Presi
dents chair, gavel in hand others occupied seats
of Senators, and it seems they PLAYING a.
Senate" The boy with the gavel was pound